Mig Welder Questions...?

[Lucky]

Is there any kind of preventative maintenance that needs to be done to a Mig welder? I have a Millermatic 200 that I just got from a friend. It has been sitting for a couple years. I have welded for about 5 min on a different welding machine, so my knowledge is non-existent when it comes to welding.

Also, I have a Miller s-32p at my shop that doesn't seem to have a power cord. It has a male connector coming out of the rear bottom of the maching, but I am still unsure. What the connector looks like is the connection like a Miller Bobcat machines lead connectors....

Also, on the Millermatic, the wire inside has a little surface rust. Will this affect the welding capabilities at all?

Thanks in advance guys!

Bryan

[fun4now]

the surface rust will effect the weld. most times you can wind off some wire and the rusty part will run out so you just have clean wire.
i would download an owners manual from the miller site it should cover maintenance . i just blow mine out with air about once a year and keep them covered.

welcome to the site.

[Lucky]

Thanks. I will do that.

[jwsrep]

What fun4now said about blowing the machine out. Take both side panels off and take machine outside and let er rip with the air nozzle. Also with a MM200 which has a tap transformer it is a good idea to work your knife switches (voltage control) back and forth and sweep your wire feed speed rheostat back and forth so you don't get a flat spot on it.

Also, what I tell people that wil do periodic welding is: take the wire out of the machine when not in use. Get yourself some of those oversized ziplock bags to stor your wire in and store it in a place where the temperature is stable (like in your house). Condensation will rust your wire and cause you grief. It also wouldn't hurt to get some of those salt packages that is often used in packaging to absorb moisture.

[Lucky]

Awesome. Thanks for the tips.

About the knife switches and rheostat, do this while it is on, or just while it is off. How often?

[fun4now]

i keep my flux core role in a bag as i dont use it too often, and bag up the big role wile using the flux.

[jwsrep]

Awesome. Thanks for the tips.

About the knife switches and rheostat, do this while it is on, or just while it is off. How often?

Naaaw, you can do it while the machine is off...actually may be better if it is off.

About once a month would be fine.